Also: Rebel cardinals accuse Pope
Francis of stacking (Sydney
Morning Herald) Oct 14 - Vatican: A gathering of world Catholic bishops has been thrown into
confusion with the leak of a letter from conservative cardinals to Pope Francis
bitterly complaining that the meeting is stacked against them.

Also: Cardinals warn of church
collapse (The
Australian) Oct 14 - Civil war has erupted in the Catholic Church, with 13 cardinals
warning the Pope that the church may collapse.

Vatican gay sex, drug
scandals: Pope issues apology (The Australian) Oct 15 - Pope Francis has offered a surprise public apology from the Catholic
Church for a series of scandals which have shaken the city of Rome and the
Vatican, from gay sex to drug use.

Islam

Muslim woman ends anti-Islam
protest by giving a protester a hug (Sydney Morning Herald) Oct 16 - An anti-Islam protest being staged by a lone woman outside a mosque in
the United States ended after members of the community came to engage her in a
discussion about her views, and one Muslim woman walked over to give her a hug
and invite her inside.

US warns of rise of Islamist
extremism, anti-Semitism (The West Australian) Oct 15 - Washington (AFP) - The United States released a bleak report on the
state of religious freedom around the world Wednesday, decrying jihadist
attacks on Middle East minorities and a rise in European anti-Semitism.

Myanmar's Suu Kyi calls for
unity in divided Rakhine (The West Australian) Oct 17 - Thandwe (Myanmar) (AFP) - Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi called for unity
in volatile Rakhine state on Saturday in an impassioned election rally,
tackling head-on bitter religious divisions between Buddhists and Muslims that
have shaken the former junta-run nation.

Other

I’m the new Jesus, Katie
Hopkins tells church conference (The Guardian, Australia) Oct 14 - The controversial commentator Katie Hopkins has told a church
conference that she is the new Jesus, giving voice to the voiceless and
“leading the way” against the intolerance of the liberal left.

Living in a slum in the name
of enlightenment (Sydney
Morning Herald) Oct 16 - Sertar, Garze: In the northern summer of 2001, thousands of Chinese
security personnel, backed by an army of labourers armed with sledgehammers,
massed at the entry of the Larung Gar Tibetan Buddhist Institute.

Q&A: Muslim parents fear
radicalisation paranoia (Sydney
Morning Herald) Oct 13 - Muslim parents are terrified their young sons will become unwitting
victims of radicalisation "paranoia", an Islamic chaplain has
revealed just hours after the federal government announced plans to target
children as young as 14-years-old with new counter-terrorism laws.

Shock as 12-year-old on
Australian terror radar (The
West Australian) Oct 15 - Sydney (AFP) - Australian police revealed Thursday a 12-year-old is on
the radar of counter-terrorism authorities as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull
urged closer cooperation with Muslim leaders at national security talks to
tackle the growing extremist threat.

Mike Baird's terrorism
law-and-order push sends a confused message (The Age, Melbourne) Oct 17 – (Opinion: Sean Nicholls) Mike Baird's main message after the killing
of police accountant Curtis Cheng in Parramatta by radicalised teenager Farhad
Khalil Mohammad Jabar was that the entire Australian community should
"come together" in response.

Tolerance and understanding
have their limits(Canberra Times) Oct 17 – (Opinion: Editorial) The rhetoric of firmness, resolve and
co-operation was gushing freely at the national meeting on Thursday convened by
Malcolm Turnbull to canvass how violent extremism might be countered in
Australia.

RELIGION
& SOCIETY

Churches' fight against gay
marriage gains momentum (Sydney
Morning Herald) Oct 17 - In the echo of church bells after Sunday service, over tea in living
rooms adorned with the cross, and in the quiet, carpeted offices of the devout,
whispers of a looming moral apocalypse are gaining strength.